On the West or Pacific Sea-board there are only two United States ports which need be specially mentioned-these are Portland (Oregon) and San Francisco. The trade with these ports is usually spoken of as the 'Frisco and Oregon trade, and is not included under the head of the United States trade. The exports are chiefly grain, carried in sailing vessels and steamers. Sailing vessels round Cape Horn, steamers shorten the voyage by coming through the Straits of Magellan.

In Canada, the principal ports on the Atlantic side are Quebec, Montreal, St. Johns, and Halifax. The exports are chiefly timber, fish, grain, and other food stuffs; and the imports are mainly finished articles. Quebec and Montreal, on the river St. Lawrence, are the principal ports. In the winter months, however, the river is frozen, and goods have then to go through the United States, from Boston or New York generally. Halifax and St. Johns are open in the winter, but these ports are too far removed from the producing

centres.

The St. Lawrence is only navigable as far as Montreal, owing to the rapids, but in order to open up communication with the great lakes, canals with large locks have been constructed at various points along the river, so as to avoid these rapids, thus forming a continuous waterway from Port du Lac at the head of Lake Superior to the Straits of Belle Isle-a distance of 2,384 miles-and tapping the great timber forests of Ontario.

In addition to the lakes, rivers, and canals, Canada has about 16,000 miles of railway. One of these lines, viz., the Canadian Pacific Railway, deserves special mention, as it has opened up a new route to China, Japan, and Australasia. This line stretches from Montreal to Vancouver, 2,906 miles, and has brought Liverpool and Yokohama within 21 days of each other (10,770 miles). The Eastern route takes about 43 days. There is a regular service of steamers from Vancouver to Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

It may be mentioned here that Vancouver and its adjacent port, Victoria, are the chief points of departure for the newlydiscovered gold fields of Klondyke.

Before dealing with South America we should mention two other links, connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific. The first of these is the Tehuantepec Railway across Mexico, which is nearly

completed; the other is the Panama Railway now in operation. A glance at the map will show what an enormous saving in time there is between these routes and the old route round Cape Horn. The only drawback to these routes is that two transhipments are necessary for goods. Another route which we may see in operation if we live long enough is the Nicaragua Canal, 169 miles long, which will ascend to the summit at Lake Nicaragua, 110 feet above sea level, by three deep locks. Another route, which we are not likely to see accomplished, is the Panama Canal (54 miles), in the construction of only a small part of which something like £25,000,000 sterling has been expended.

To South America steamers run chiefly from London, Liverpool, and Bristol, touching at Lisbon, the Azores, and Senegal. Monte Video or Buenos Ayres. Buenos Ayres is, as a rule, the limit of the voyage, though some steamers go as far as Valparaiso.

The principal ports on the East Coast are the sugar ports of Georgetown and Pernambuco, the tobacco port of Bahia, the coffee ports of Rio de Janeiro and Santos, and the general ports of Monte Video and Buenos Ayres, with Rosario up the River Plate. From Buenos Ayres large quantities of wool and grain are exported, being brought down from the interior of Argentina by the River Plate.

On the West Coast the principal ports are Valparaiso (Chili) -to which steamers run direct from Liverpool-Callao (Peru), and Guayaquil (Ecuador). A few steamers, perhaps one a week, load at ports on this coast direct for Europe through the Straits of Magellan, but the traffic is mostly carried on by coasting steamers trading between Valparaiso at the one end and Panama at the other. Here the steamers connect with the lines from San Francisco, and, across the Isthmus, with lines to New Orleans, New York, and the principal European ports.

In most parts of South America, goods going into the interior are conveyed by rail or river as far as practicable, and are then transported to their destination by pack horses or mules. The loads carried by these animals weigh from 150 to 220 lbs., in two packages, one on each side. If the packages are bulky, the weight is reduced in proportion. Travelling is very uncomfortable and very tedious, a journey of 200 miles, for instance, often occupying as much as 30 days.

SHIPS AND CHARTERS

Previous to the reign of Queen Elizabeth, England was of but little account as a maritime nation. In that reign our mercantile marine first became considerable, and it gradually increased under the reigns of James I. and Charles I. At the Restoration (1603) the British shipping cleared outwards amounted to 95,266 tons; about ninety years later it amounted to 190,533 tons, and it has steadily increased until the present day. Last year out of a total of 39,308,276 tons of shipping cleared from British ports, British shipping amounted to 28,101,298 tons or 71 per cent. of the whole. In addition to this the tonnage of coasting vessels cleared amounted to 30,820,312 tons. Until about seventy years ago the whole of our foreign trade was done by means of sailing vessels, but the introduction of steam navigation gave an immense impetus to our carrying trade, and at the present time Great Britain possesses more than half the merchant service of the world, which means that half the over-sea commerce of the world is carried under the British flag.

The Ship's Papers.-Every British vessel usually carries on board certain documents, which are known as the "Ship's Papers." The papers which are usually found on board a British merchant vessel (i.e., a vessel carrying cargo, &c.) are: (1) The Certificate of Registry; (2) the Ship's Log; (3) the Ship's Articles; (4) the Crew List or Muster Roll; (5) the Bill of Health, when necessary; (6) the Bills of Lading; (7) the Manifest; (8) the Clearance Certificate; and, when the vessel has been chartered, (9) the Charter Party. In addition to these there is sometimes found (10) the Builder's Certificate or the Bill of Sale.

The Certificate of Registry is a document granted by the Registrar (the Collector of Customs) of the port where the vessel has been registered, and is the legal proof of her nationality. It usually specifies amongst other particulars the name and description of the vessel, her tonnage, the name of her master, and the names of the owners.

The Ship's Log is a book in which are recorded the vessel's daily progress, the winds and weather encountered, and other particulars respecting the vessel and voyage.

The Ship's Articles are the agreements signed by each seaman. They specify the man's rank on board, wages to be paid, term for which engaged, food to be provided, and other conditions.

The Crew List or Muster Roll contains the name, &c., of every person on board.

The Bill of Health is a certificate given by a Consul or other official at the port whence the vessel sailed, stating whether or not any infectious disease was prevalent at that place at the time of departure. The following is a specimen of this document

Bill of Health.

We, A. B., Esq., Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at

do hereby certify that the steamer called the " Don Pedro," of Liverpool, of 1,325 tons, commanded by John Smith, navigated by thirty men, and having on board three passengers, being in all thirty-three persons on board, leaves this port of in free pratique bound for London.

We further certify that good health is enjoyed in this town and the adjacent country, without any suspicion of plague or infectious distemper whatever.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hand and seal of office at this 23rd day of August, 1898.

(Signature of Consul.)

The above would be called a clean Bill of Health; if cases of infectious disease were noted on the certificate, it would be called a foul Bill.

The Bills of Lading have been already described in the chapter on Exportation of Goods. The Bills of Lading here referred to are, of course, the "Captain's copies."

The Manifest is a list of the vessel's cargo. It specifies the marks, numbers, contents, and value of each package, or particulars of other cargo, and sometimes states the amount of freight payable at port of destination. It is usually signed by the master, or the ship broker or agent who clears the vessel at the Custom House. A specimen is given on the next page.